Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley celebrating 50 years of saving and sharing history
On Tuesday, March 26, the St. Charles-based nonprofit organization Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley celebrates its 50th year of saving and sharing local history.
Founded in 1974 by five women to save the 1843 Durant-Peterson House, it has grown to operate three other historic sites, own and restore the 1850 Beith House, and serve as a voice for preserving history in the Tri-Cities.
The journey began in 1969 with an old, white-painted brick and clapboard home lying vacant and dilapidated in the then-newly established LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve in St. Charles. Built by Bryant Durant in 1843, the home was one of the oldest in Kane County.
The Thornapple Questers, a local chapter of a national organization of antique enthusiasts, met with the Forest Preserve District of Kane County to request permission to restore and furnish the old home for a museum. The forest commission granted the request and the Questers got to work on restoring the old home which came to be known as the 1843 Durant-Peterson House.
By 1973, a new organization was needed to focus on the restoration of the Durant-Peterson House and open it to the public as a museum. This new organization, made up mostly of members of local Questers groups, was named Restorations of Kane County (later changed to Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley), and incorporated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization on March 26, 1974, by Evelyn Johnson, Nancy Polivka, Rosemarie Thomas, Lorraine Miller, and Norma Shearer.
Throughout the following 50 years, similar grassroots efforts to save and share local history continued from the relentless efforts of hundreds of people, nearly all as volunteers.
Museum operations expanded with the addition of the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed Fabyan Villa Museum in 1995, the Fabyan Japanese Garden in 2002, and the Sholes School Museum in 2018. These three plus the Durant-Peterson House Museum are owned by the Forest Preserve District of Kane County which contracts with the nonprofit to operate these historic sites and open them to the public.
Along with museum operations, Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley also served as a leader in preservation education. It worked with community stakeholders to help save other historic properties or inspire their adaptive reuse such as the Fabyan Villa Museum, 1893 Viking Ship, Riverbank Laboratories, Judd Mansion, and many more local historic buildings.
From the passion of a small group of volunteers to save one old home, Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley has grown to operate four historic sites and be a vital voice for historic preservation. Its perseverance for 50 years is a testament to the enormous value the people of the Fox Valley place on their history. Without the commitment of museum visitors, volunteers, and donors, the rich architecture and stories of St. Charles, Geneva, and Batavia would disappear.
For more information about the 50 year history of Preservation Partners, visit www.ppfv.org/blog/category/Our+History.
Preservation Partners of the Fox Valley’s mission is to offer heritage education and to promote the appreciation and preservation of the Fox Valley’s rich architectural and historic resources. Learn more at www.ppfv.org or on social media @preservationpartners.